As almost any entrepreneur or creative will tell you, unexpected problems are to be expected. Below, you’ll hear some incredible stories that highlight and illustrate the kinds of issues and problems entrepreneurs and creatives are dealing with everyday. It’s not easy, but the silver lining is that dealing with unexpected problems is one of the best ways to develop antifragility.
Nubia Younge
Another entity was illicitly using our brand name, which is trademarked and created confusion and inconvenience to our clients and the general public. We took this issue very seriously as it impacts not only the trust and integrity associated with our brand but also the safety and satisfaction of our clients. We have been working closely with our legal team to protect our trademark and hold the responsible entity accountable for their actions. Trademarking your business is a critical step in securing your brand’s identity, value, and legal rights. Read more>>
Ruin Road
The first half of 2023 saw our YouTube channel double in views and we were gaining subscribers at a rapid pace. But on one Thursday night at the end of July, we hit our biggest problem – in the span of just three minutes, someone hacked into our Google account, changed the two factor authentication and everything to their contact information. Shockingly, Google had no way to undo this, and we could only watch as the following morning all our videos were taken down, the channel rebranded to look like Tesla and they began livestreaming some spam. After likely being reported en masse, the channel was terminated. Read more>>
Raven Ritrovato
Earning a full-time living from my creative work is a constant but alluring battle. These last few years began very nerve-racking as my Senior year of college, trying to achieve my BFA in Graphic Design, was something I had imagined for a long while. Although I did look very much forward to it, it was scary not knowing what was to come after, and even more startling is when you throw in a life-altering situation that impacts all of those around you. Senior-year plans had taken a turn from COVID, and I sadly missed out on incredible experiences that could have pushed me ahead in the Graphic Design world. While I would’ve liked to sulk as long as possible on this, I had no time to set myself back even further. Read more>>
Leslie Parke
There are many myths around artists making a living from their art. “Starving” and “artist” are mentioned in the same breath all the time. Artists who make a living from their art are accused of being sellouts. I don’t buy into either of those characterizations. The challenge for an artist is to create the circumstances under which they can produce their best work. For some that means having a day job, for others, having a beneficiary, for me it was to embrace the business side of my work. I’m lucky, I enjoy that. It is a puzzle and a game. I set the criteria – producing my best work and selling it – then I see if there is a way for me to do that. Read more>>
Tyler Tittle
Even with the endless amounts of information there is to find on the internet and other media on self-publishing, marketing, and branding yourself to grow as a creative, it is extremely difficult to gain and maintain a following, let alone market yourself enough to attract new customers. I learned very early on in the process that the backend upkeep of being a creative with subscriptions to software for video/photo editing, audio recording, stock photos and videos, and software for captioning can rack up a hefty bill quickly. Read more>>
Anton Traverso
Navigating Uncharted Waters: New Art Agency’s commitment to Atlanta’s Creative Community One of the most unexpected challenges in Atlanta’s creative industry is the ”assumed” shortage of skilled creative talent. As the demand for creative services surges(film, photography, graphic design, UX design, social media marketing, etc.), agents and directors often find themselves competing for a limited pool of designers, producers, and other creative professionals. The city’s rapid growth without a proper foundation for the sprouting creative workforce can hinder the ability of businesses to scale and meet marketing demands. Read more>>
Phil Herman
Navigating Uncharted Waters: New Art Agency’s commitment to Atlanta’s Creative Community One of the most unexpected challenges in Atlanta’s creative industry is the ”assumed” shortage of skilled creative talent. As the demand for creative services surges(film, photography, graphic design, UX design, social media marketing, etc.), agents and directors often find themselves competing for a limited pool of designers, producers, and other creative professionals. The city’s rapid growth without a proper foundation for the sprouting creative workforce can hinder the ability of businesses to scale and meet marketing demands. Read more>>
Tiffany Poles
God has a way of giving you signs of things to come or needed transitions in life. For some reason I never take heed to the small signs. It took a complete earthquake for me to realize that some major shift needed to take place. There have been two major car accidents that caused me to make an uncomfortable change. But turned out for my good. My first rumble caused me to leave corporate America and pursue my braiding career full time. And boy did that pan out. Google “Typhs Braids” at your earliest convenience. My second catastrophe caused me to sit down and reflect on all that I have accomplished and what talents I have been sitting on. Read more>>
Chandler Dangaard
Graduating college during Covid. paying full tuition for 10% of the education being taught fine art via zoom. Throwing my graduation cap and having it hit my popcorn ceiling in my studio apartment, alone. I never thought my family would be able to see me graduate from college, and after four years of hard work, I was still right. Worse than all of that is the closing of my most important networking opportunity, the senior show exhibition at Otis college, completely canceled. My dreams felt crushed. Luckily I found teaching and have been earning a humble, stable wage. But it is far from what I wanted or planned for pre covid.. I have a lot more about this story I could go deeply into Read more>>
Sam Ken
Things were going really well for me in my art career, until I was hit by a car while riding my motorcycle in September 2022. What proceeded was a long road to recovery that continues to this day. My art was put on hold for months to give time for my body to heal. During that time, I was blessed to have a wellspring of support from many artists and business owners in my community. It was that support from family, friends, and strangers that motivated me to get back to creating art as soon as I could. Read more>>
Porsche Stubblefield
Unexpected problems that I’ve faced in this industry is being shut out by older DJs who have been doing this for 10+ years or more and especially with male DJs. I remember a few opportunities that I’ve had to Dj or showcase my skills and have either been left on read, disrespected or flat out overlooked. I’m originally from Louisiana and that also presents a problem because I’m looking to create genuine ties to djs here grew up with one another. So, me being a newcomer, it’s kind of like “who’s this kid and why should we allow her instant access to opportunities. I truly believed going into this industry things would be different. Read more>>
Nadiya Popadyuk
Life is full of surprises, you newer know what can happen to you or who you are going to meet that will change your life. Last year, right after I received my California Real Estate Licence and started my career as a realtor, I became a victim of online harassment and cyberstalking crimes. As a social media influencer with almost 40 000 followers on Instagram at that time, every day and night I was receiving threatening and humiliating messages from dozens of fake accounts with no real names or pictures. My friends, family, brokerage, followers received direct messages with horrible lies about me. Someone was trying really hard to tear down my reputation and destroy both personal and professional aspects of my life. Read more>>
Megan Walsh
As a creative individual, patience with yourself is key. It took me a while to realize how important this is. When I start feeling overwhelmed with my business, I always notice a decline in my creativity. And since that’s the core of my business, it’s basically a recipe for disaster. I believe a lot of this comes from comparison. It’s really easy to compare where we are right now to our big, lofty dreams. However, I’ve learned that celebrating our small wins along the way is crucial for maintaining strong motivation. Social media can make us feel like we need to do all the things, all the time. But we’re just one person. We have to nurture our creativity by taking things one day at a time. Do yourself a favor and keep your to-do list as small as possible, prioritizing tasks from most to least important. This will save you from a lot of burnout! Read more>>
Jaimie Williams
Some of the most unexpected problems and issues I faced as a business owner are unforeseen life issues, and problems that occur or that could occur. Death, for example. When you decide to become an entrepreneur, you don’t factor in unexpected death; for me, for instance, the loss of my first best friend, who is my mother, followed by two sisters, two brothers, and a niece, all within the last six years of starting Credit Merit Consultants. The feeling is unexplainable. Read more>>
Tm Gratkowski
Depending how you look at it any problem is really an unexpected opportunity – it all depends on what you do with it. Being a contemporary artist, for me, is all about risks and challenges. I set out to not be derivative and to see, think, and do things beyond what has been done before. For me, that process, when I am creating anything, is all about taking risks and seeing the potential in something that is different and new. Read more>>
Chris Molinari
When I was younger, I wanted to become a guitarist that could play any genre, any tempo and write a lot of music that would tastefully utilize that technicality. Through the years, I have figured out that it’s not quite meant to go like that for me. And for a long time it was a hard thing to accept. Doing Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” work has really helped me to accept what I am good at and focus on what I CAN do. I don’t have [Metallica guitarist] James Hetfield’s picking speed, but I have plenty of other skills I bring to the table! Read more>>
Vitalijs (V) Osipenko
You know what … I expected more support from my close friends! Don’t get me wrong – those who I really wanted to show up for me did just that but some people didn’t take me seriously in the beginning. I was called “the little influencer”, some people would look at my IG page/social media accounts and consume my content without actually following me or engaging with my content. That kinda hurt because I always try to be there for people when it comes to their creative pursuits. Read more>>